Method and apparatus for assembling packages



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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES I 17 Sheets-Sheet 8 Original Filed April 9, 1964 FIG.9

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES l7 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed April 9, 1964 y 1968 J. c. DE SHAZOR. JR. ETAL 3,393,490

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLINC- PACKAGES Original Filed April 9, 1964 17 Sheets-Sheet 10 I ///a/4ey 1968 J. c. DE SHAZOR, JR.. ETAL 3,393,490

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES Original Filed April 9, 1964 1'7 Sheets-Sheet l 2 y 3, 1968 J. c. DE SHAZOR. JR., ETAL 3,393,490

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES l7 Sheets-Sheet 15 Original Filed April 9, 1964 ly 23, 1968 J. c. DE SHAZOR. JR, ETAL 3,393,490

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES Original Filed April 9, 1964 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 ///ar//ey J y 3, 1968 J. c. DE SHAZOR, JR.. ETAL 3,

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES 17 Sheets-Sheet 17 Original Filed April 9, 1964 RN MNN NM NM MHNN W NW 0 0 O O 0 WM x m N 0 m United States Patent 3,393,490 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING PACKAGES James C. De Shazor, Jr., Sherman Oaks, Calif., and

Lawrence R. Burk, St. Louis, and Richard S. Jackson, Crestwood, Mo., assignors, by mesne assignments, to James C. De Shazor, Jr., Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Application Apr. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 358,441, now Patent No. 3,245,196, dated Apr. 12, 1966, which is a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Ser. No. 100,618, Apr. 4, 1961. Divided and this application Dec. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 429,697

8 Claims. (Cl. 53-48) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for making a group of cans into a unitary package, including a vertical wheel which rotates about a horizontal axis, means to feed a procession of cans beneath the wheel in the direction of rotation and at about the same velocity as the wheel, and as part of the apparatus means to feed a plastic clip to a holding member on the wheel and rotatable with the wheel and a way to rotate the wheel to each clip and to engagement with the top of the cans in the procession of cans as they move beneath the wheel.

The present application is a division of application Ser. No. 358,441 filed Apr. 9, 1964, now Patent No. 3,245,196, which is in turn a continuation in part of US. application Ser. No. 100,618 filed Apr. 4, 1961, and now abandoned, application Ser. No. 174,655 filed Feb. 12, 1962, application Ser. No. 270,341 filed Apr. 3, 1963, now Patent No. 3,255,566, and application Ser. No. 295,590 filed July 3, 1963, now Patent No. 3,336,723. The disclosure of these prior applications is incorporated herein by reference.

This invention relates to a machine and method for assembling containers with clips to form multiple-container packages. Typical of the clip which may be assembled with the containers by the use of the machine and method of present invention are those shown in US. patent applications Ser. Nos. 100,618 and 174,655, and US. Patents D197,356, D197,357 and D197,358.

The method and apparatus of the present invention is typically applicable to form multiple container packages in which the containers are tubular metal sleeves having top and bottom ends afiixed to the sleeves by beads, chimes or rims, and commonly referred to as tin cans, and are extensively used to package food and beverages.

The present invention provides a new and improved machine and method for assembling containers and plastic clips to form a multiple-container package. Preferably these clips are formed from thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene or polystyrene. The preferred material of fabrication is a high-impact polystyrene which provides a rigid clip having sufficiently yieldability and flexibility to permit snapping portions of the clip over the can rim or chime with a minimum stressing of the plastic. In assembling the clips to the container rim, it is essential that the rim engaging portions of the clip are not overly stressed since the holding power of the clip in the assembled package may be diminished to the point that the package is unstable and insecure during shipping and consumer usage.

The machine and method according to the present invention fulfills the major requirements of the packaging industry, including:

3,393,490 Patented July 23, 1968 (1) Very high speed operation, but adjustability to lower operating speeds while maintaining economical operation;

(2) High efliciency in assembling the packages;

(3) Low maintainence on the assembling equipment;

(4) Equipment which is easily adapted for use with high output container filling and closing machines presently in use in the packaging industry;

(5) Equipment which is easily adapted for assembling packages having two, three, four, six or eight units or cans therein;

(6) Equipment having high reliability insofar as producing a uniform and stable package;

(7) Equipment which will orient the cans so that the vertical sea-m of the can is positioned inwardly of the finished package;

(8) Equipment wherein the can orienting unit is adaptable for quick and single changes to locate the can seams at various desired locations, such that the cans on the end of a six-pack of canned beer or the like may be oriented at an angle so that the indicia on the can can be read from a side or end viewing of the package;

(9) Equipment which requires a minimum amount of personnel to operate the machine including the 'feeding of the clips;

(10) Equipment which may be easily unjammed in the event of a slight malfunction, since down time on the packaging equipment frequently results in down time on the filling and capping equipment;

(11) Equipment which minimizes damage to the cans, including abrasions to the labels or printing on the sides of the cans;

(12) Equipment which is readily adaptable for various heights and sizes of cans;

(13) Apparatus which will minimize shock to the subtances being packaged-this is particularly important in the packaging of beer since it is widely accepted that beer which is subjected to shock is degraded in quality.

The method and apparatus of the present invention orients the container so-that the predominant printing or decoration on the containers, such as a trademark or brand name, is displayed outwardly of the sides of the package and any vertical seam on the can is positioned inside the package where it may not be observed by the purchaser of the package. This invention permits the ori entation of all known types of containers including: fiat and non-flat top cans, steel cans, aluminum cans, cans with a steel body and aluminum ends, impact extruded cans, non-circular cans, plastic cans and plastic-metal cans. The method and apparatus readily adapts to changes in the amount of orientation desired in the container or the type of container being oriented.

The drawings illustrate the present preferred embodiment of the invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective of an apparatus made according to the present invention, with parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of an apparatus made according to the present invention, with parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of an apparatus made according to the present invention, with parts removed for clarity;

FIGURE 4 is a rear perspective of an apparatus made according to the present invention, viewed from the reverse machine end of the view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating the path of the can movement through the apparatus;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective of an infeed star' wheel and orienting unit made according to the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical cross section of the orienting unit;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view taken on line 8 8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation view of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE'9A'is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective schematic view illustrating the can and clip movement at a clipping station;

FIGURE 11 is a cross section taken on line l111 of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a side elevation view of a clip feeding and positioning mechanism;

FIGURE 12A is a cross section taken on line 12A 12A of FIGURE 12;

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged perspective of the feed chute of the clip feeding mechanism;

FIGURE 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the clip feed chute of FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 15 is a cross section taken on line 15l5 of FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 16 is a view similar to FIGURE 15 but showing the feed mechanism in a second position;

FIGURE 17 is a side elevation view of the feed mechanisms and illustrates various feed positions;

FIGURE 18 is a perspective of a portion of the clip feed mechanism;

FIGURE 18A is a side elevation view of a clip pusher mechanism;

FIGURE 18B is a vertical cross section through a clip feed chute;

FIGURE 19 is a top plan view of a modified form of clip feed mechanism;

FIGURE 20 is a cross section taken on line 2020 of FIGURE 19;

FIGURE 21 is a perspective of apparatus for enveloping the package in plastic film;

FIGURE 22 is a perspective of the package resulting from the operation of the apparatus of FIGURE 21; and

FIGURE 23 is a modified form of the package of FIGURE 22.

The clip usable in the apparatus and method of the I present invention is completely and adequately described in the aforementioned patent applications and will not be described in detail herein. This clip comprises a single body of plastic having suitable strength and flexibility, for connection with two or more containers to form an interlocked multiple-container package. The clip is particularly constructed to interlock two, three, four or six symmetrically arranged, substantially tangentially abutting cans having a peripheral bead or chime at either or both the top and bottom ends of the cans. The description herein particularly is directed to a clip used to interlock six symmetrically arranged, substantially tangentially abutting cans but it is within the scope of this invention to utilize the concept stated herein for interlocking other multiples of cans to form packages.

The method according to the present invention includes the steps of feeding a procession of the containers along a primary feed path, diverting some of the containers from the primary feed path to a secondary feed path, diverting additional containers from the primary feed path to a tertiary feed path, continuing to feed the containers along the feed path, orienting some of the containers to a predetermined position while being fed along the secondary feed path, orienting the additional containers to a predetermined position while being fed along the tertiary feed path, then joining the oriented containers from the secondary and tertiary feed paths to form a procession of containers having a width of two containers, and periodically and systematically uniting a plurality of the containers in the last mentioned procession to form individual packages. Ancillary to this primary method are the steps of orienting the containers by individually rotating each container about a vertically disposed axis passing through each container and thereafter arresting the rotation when each can has reached the predetermined position.

The containers are united to form packages by tightly engaging top portions of each container with the unitary plastic clip as hereinbefore described. This clip has downwardly extending can chime engaging portions which are positionable on opposite sides of the chime of each can at its upper end and one of the'portions has a hooked part engageable beneath the chime. The clips may be affixed to either or both ends of the cans. The clips are preferably moved in a continuous path tangential to the upper end of the upper end of the cans and in timed relation with the rectilinear movement of the cans through the uniting station.

In the preferred form of this invention the cans are moved in a circular path onto an orienting station, which also operates in a circular path during orientation of the containers, and then in a circular path from the orienting station for deposition into a path moving rectilinearly through a clip application station. The application of clips to the chimes of the cans is performed primarly while the cans are moving in the rectilinear path and while the cans are almost or substantially in chime-abutting relationship to each other (both transversely and longitudinally of the package).

The clip usable in this invention is constructed with lower cam surfaces to adjust and compensate for variations in the positioning of the cans during the clipping operation and the surfaces can shift the can positions slightly to effect clip application with minimum plastic stressing. The plastic material from which the clip is fabricated also compensates for various malpositioning of the cans at the clipping station, if such should occur, since the plastic is resiliently flexible to withstand some distortion without permanent deformation. Thus, the criticality in the positioning of the cans at the clipping station is minimized within the operable scope of this method and apparatus due to the construction of the clips. This minimal criticality is important from the operators and the users standpoint since maintenance and machine stoppage is minimized.

The apparatus according to the present invention has means for performing the various functions described above with respect to the method and is particularly designed to move the cans in various circular paths as noted which provides for a high-speed operation achieving rapid functional transfers of the cans while minimizing the possibility of damage to the cans or the indicia located on the sides of the cans.

A particularly important sub-assembly invention herein includes the method and apparatus for orienting the cans, including: rotating the cans, stopping the rotation of the cans in a desired position, and continuing the moveent of the cans along the feed path While this orientation is being accomplished.

Referring specifically to FIGURES l4, the present invention includes a machine having a can infeed section 25 which divides the incoming cans into two infeed rows, an orientation section 26 for each of the rows, a clipping station 27 and an outfeed section 28.

The infeed section 25 includes a continuous conveyor 28A which supplies cans to a diverter 29 to separate the cans into two separate single line rows of cans 30 and 31 on separately driven conveyors. All of the conveyors have suitable side rails 32 which maintain the cans on the conveyors. The two single rows of cans-30 and 31 are then directed through identical paths and therefore only one will be described herein.

Referring to FIGURE 5, the cans in each line are fed inwardly from left to right in the direction of the arrows 33, in a circular path at an infeed star wheel in the direction of arrows 34, in a circular path at the orienting station in the direction of arrows 35, in a circular path at an output star wheel in the direction of arrows 36, and then in a straight line (rectilinear) direction as shown by arrows 37 through the clipping station and outfeed of the finished clipped package. The clips are applied to the cans at about the line XX.

Referring to FIGURE 6 the cans are fed in from left to right around a pair of driven spaced star wheels 38. The star wheels are afiixed to and spaced from each other on a driven shaft 39 and are adjustable thereon to adjust for various heights of cans. The rows of cans 30 and 31 are subjected to a can feed pressure which moves the cans individually into pockets 40 of the star wheels 38 and the cans are picked up for circular movement by a continuous circular shelf 41 located immediately below the bottom star wheel 38. The pockets 40 are formed by scalloped portions in the periphery of the start wheels 38. The star wheels are spaced sufliciently far apart so that the vertical faces of the scalloped portions are engaged only by the chimes of the cans thereby avoiding any marring contact between the star wheels and the printed indicia or labels on the side walls of the cans.

A stationary plate 42 is positioned between the star wheels 38 on each side of the machine and has circular cut-out peripheral portions 43 spaced a distance from the pockets 40 of the star wheels to permit a can to be disposed between the pockct and the face 43 of the plate. The plate 42 is at an elevation such that the face 43 only engages the chime of the can to avoid marring the can. Thus as the star wheels 38 are rotated, the individual cans are held on their bottoms by shelf 41 and held at their top ends between the face of pocket 40 and face 43 of plate 42, to be conveyed in the circular motion as shown by the arrow 34 in FIGURE 5. The star wheels 38 are the infeed for the orienting unit 26.

As the star wheels 38 rotate, the cans are carried on the plate 41 with the upper chime of the can sliding along the face 43 of plate 42. The individual cans are brought around to the right side of the star Wheel (as viewed in FIGURE 6) and the individual can is picked up by the orienting unit 26 in the manner to be described hereinafter.

Referring to FIGURES 6-9, the orienting unit 26 includes a bottom housing 47 rigidly affixed to the frame of the machine by bolts and containing a hollow annular cavity 48 having a first circular cam track 49 opening outwardly and a second circular cam track 50 opening inwardly. Each cam track 49 and 50 is circular, integral with the base plate 47 concentric, and has a continuous captive cam groove 62 therein,

The plate 47 has an upwardly extending tubular housing 51 surrounding a centrally disposed rotatable driven (arrow 35 of FIGURE 5 shaft 52.

The upper end of shaft 52 has an integral flange 54 rotatable on a bearing 55 interposed between the flange and housing 51. The flange 54 is integral with a circular, outwardly extending chuck base plate 56. The base plate 56 has a plurality of vertical openings 57 which receive a bushing 58 suitably held in place by snap rings or the like. A chuck mounting rod 59 is keyed for vertical reciprocation in the bushing 58. A lower chuck 45 is mounted on the upper end of the chuck rod 59 and is rotatable on bearings 60. A cam follower 61 is rotatably mounted on a transverse axle at lower end of the chuck rod 59 and is captively held within and rotatable along the cam groove 62 in the cam plate 50. The surface of the cam groove 62 undulates to raise and lower the lower chuck 45 in the manner to be described hereinafter. Thus as the pltae 56 is rotated (upon rotation of shaft 52), a plurality of chucks 45 and chuck rods 59, etc. are simultaneously rotated in a circular path as shown by the arrow 35 in FIGURE 5 and the chucks are raised and lowered as the individual cam follower 61 follows the cam groove 62. There are nine chucks 45 in the preferred embodiment shown.

Immediately adjacent each chunk 45' is a can feeler unit 65. Each can feeler unit (see FIGURES 8, 9 and 9A) includes a mounting block 66, disposed in a. radial slot in plate 56, having a downwardly disposed rod 67 reciprocally mounted in an opening 68 in the plate 56. Block 66 is biased away from plate 56 by spring 68A. A cam follower 69 is rotatably mounted on a transverse axle at the lower end of rod 67. The cam follower is captively held within and rotatable along the cam groove 70 in the cam plate 49. The lower surface of the cam groove 70 undulates to raise and lower the can feeler for the purpose to be described hereinafter. An upstanding backing plate 71 is integrally fixed to the outer radial face of the mounting block 66 and a movably mounted can feeler bar 72 is mounted to the outside of the backing bar 71. A spring 73 is interposed between the backing bar 71 and the can feeler bar 72. The can feeler bar 72 has small horizontal slots which receive beaded bolts 74 threaded into the mounting block 66 thereby permitting bar 72 to move toward and away from chuck 45 and backing bar 71. The can feeler mounting bar 72 has a pair of spaced pins 75 and 75 protruding from its upper surface.

As shown in FIGURE 9A, the pin 76 is positioned inside the chime 80 of the can and the pin 75 is positioned outside the chime 80. Thus, the chime 80 is captive between the two pins. As the can is rotated (in a manner to be described) the bar 72 and pins 75 and 76 can move inwardly and outwardly toward and away from the backing plate 71 against the biasing effect of the spring 73. Thus, if the can is not perfectly centered on the chuck 45 or is slightly out of round, the sensing device can follow the eccentricity of the chime.

All steel cans having a vertical seam with crimped top and bottom ends, has a protruding bump 81 on the chime at the location of the seam, as shown in FIGURE 8. This bump is caused by the seam which is enclosed within the crimped portion of the end crimped to the side wall of the can and the bump normally extends .0O8-.0l2" out from the chime. The distance between the inner faces of pins 75 and 76 is suflicient to pass the normal width of the chime but not sufficient to pass the width of the chime at the point of the bump 80. Thus, when the can is rotated, the bump 81 moves against the pin 75 in the manner shown in the right hand portion of FIGURE 8 and the rotation of the can is stopped. Since the sensing device 65 may be positioned at a variety of positions along the periphery of the chuck 45, the can can be oriented to any desired position. With the sensing device in the position shown in FIGURES 8 and 9, the vertical seam (coextensive with the bump 81) of the can is disposed inside the six pack package at the clipping station so that the brand name or trademark on each can is disposed outside the six pack. 7

Referring to FIGURE 7, a tubular, vertically extending sleeve 85 is afiixed to the upper face of plate 56, concentric with shaft 52, and has an integral star wheel 86 affixed to its upper end. The wheel 86 has peripheral pockets formed by scalloped surfaces 87 located immediately adjacent the top surface of chuck 45. The lower chime of the can positioned on chuck 45 slidably engaged against the surface 87 adjacent the chuck, thus concentrically aligning the can on the chunk 45. The star wheel 86 is rotated with shaft 52 and plate 56. A tubular, vertically extending housing 88 is affixed by a flange to the upper face of the plate 56 and rotates concentrically with the shaft 52 and plate 56. A second star wheel 89 is affixed to and extends outwardly from the housing 88 and has peripheral pockets formed by scalloped surfaces 90 which are coplanar with the scalloped surface 87 of the lower star wheel 86. The upper chime of the can engages the surface 90 of the upper star wheel 89 when the can is positioned on the lower chuck 45.

The upper end of housing 88 is afiixed by a flange to a circular, radially extending top chuck mounting plate 91 which is rotatable concentrically with shaft 52. A sta- 

